Agent for wetting, dispersing, etc.



Patent eel July 24, 1934 1,967,656 AGENT FQR WET'HING, DISPERSBNG, ETC.

Heinrich Bertsch, Chemnitz, Germany, assignor to H. Th. Bohme Aktiengesellschaft, Chemnitz, Germany, a corporation oi'Germ'any No Drawing. Application May 31, 1932, Serial No. 614,613. In Germany November '1, 1931 1d Claims.

This invention relates to agents for wetting, purifying, washing, and dispersing purposes for use in the textile and other industries.

More particularly, it relates to tetrahydrofur- 5 furyl alcohol and its adaptation with known treatment substances into commercial use as wetting, purifying, washing, or emulsifying agents.

The tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol employed in the instant invention is preferably obtained by the 19 catalytic hydrogenation of furfural in liquid phase in the absence of water and fractionally distilling to produce a condensate boiling between 170 and 180 C. This product is composed principally of tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol but contains a small proportion of other reaction products.

Compositions composed of this tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol product together with known treatment substances possessing, to various degrees,

v 20 wetting, purifying, washing, or dispersing properties have proved quite successful in many branches of industry. The known treatment substances found satisfactory include solvents,

soaps, and sulphonated oils, sulphuric derivatives of higher fatty alcohols, aromatic sulphoacids, and their alkali salts.

' Solvents found suitable for use with the tetrahydrofurfm'yl alcohol include hydrocarbons such as-benzene, benzine, tar oils and mineral oils; higher aliphatic, cycloaliphatic and aromatic alcohols, phenols; hydrogenated phenols such as cyclohexanol and methylcyclohexanol; ketones such as acetone and its higher homologues, cy-' clohexanone and aromatic and fatty-aromatic ketones; and halogenated hydrocarbons such as trichloroethylene' and carbon tetrachloride.

When the foregoing water insoluble liquids are mixed with the tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol in preparing the composition, the former are 40 brought by means of the latter into a state of minute subdivision.

The soaps that have been found to produce agents of exceptionally fine qualities include Marseilles soaps and grain soaps. As sulphonated oils there may be used e. g. sulphonated castor oil and sulphonated oleic acid, and as aromatic sulpho-acids, di-isopropylnaphthalene sulphonic acid and isobutylnaphthalene sulphonic acid.

Of outstanding effectiveness are the compositions containing with the tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol, sulphuric derivatives (sulphonates and/or esters) of the higher fatty alcohols, and, in particular, the sodium or other alkali saltsof the sulphuric derivatives of lauric alcohol.

Thecompositions' containing the soaps, oils etc., above described, are most conveniently and advantageously used when made up in the liquid form in the manner in which liquid or dissolved soaps are found on the market.

In. the place of tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol, there may be used the tetrahydrofurfuryl esters of the lower aliphatic carboxylic acids, such as the acetic ester and the propionic ester.

The tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol or ester may be used with complete success in admixture with insoluble substances, in particular, difiicultly wetted powders, such as dyestuff powders, in the form of a paste. This paste, when later used for its intended purpose, readily disperses in water.

The outstanding success of the agents of the present invention is due in. part to their'high solvent and dispersing powers and their water solubility. Further, from an economical standpoint, the agents'are much more desirable than the solvent and dispersing agents heretofore known. The extremely low cost of furfural ,and the inexpensive method, hereinbefore disclosed, of transforming the same into tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol make the cost of the agents of the pres- 'ent invention most attractively low.

' Examples Example '1.l part of Marseilles soap is dissolved in 4'parts of tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol. On dilution with water, this mixture yields clear solutions having excellent cleaning powers.

Example 2.-5 parts of tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol are dissolved in 100 liters of water. This solution is adapted'for the wetting of textiles.

Example 3.-2 kilograms of grain soap fat content) are made into a solution with 10 kilograms of tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol and liters of water. This preparation is suitable for the removal of oil filaments containing mineral oil from textiles.

Example 4.--5 kilograms of the sodium salt of a sulphuric derivative of lauric alcohol are dissolved in 5 kilograms of tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol and 500 liters of water. This solution is suitable for the washing of raw wool.

Example 5.-Equal parts of ethylene trichloride and tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol are thoroughly mixed. This mixture is very' satisfactory for the de-fatting of tanned sheeps hides.

Example 6.-20 parts of technical xylenols and 4 parts of tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol are dissolved in 300 liters of sodium hydroxide solution of 30 B. The mixture is very well adapted-for the mercerizing of cotton. Preliminary boiling of the fibrous material is not necessary, owing to the .md a known treatment substance of 'a nature I excellentwettinz properties of said mi'xture.-

Having thus described the invention, whstis claimed as newsnd desired to be secured by Letters Batent is;--

l. A composition of matter comprising, in com- 1 binstlon, tetrshydroi'urluryl alcohol and t known treatment substance of a nature adapted for wet I nlm y hs, w hi'ns, or dispersing p.

2. An agent iorwetting, purifying, Washing,

or disp rsion pu p s s mprisinm: in combine tion, tetrshydroiurturyl alcohol ands knownsolvent having wetting. purifying, washing or dispersing properties. i I p I p I l 3. The agent as described in claim 2 wherein the solvent is s phenol. I V

4. The agent as described in claim- 2 wherein the solvent is xylenol.

5. An agent ior wetting, purifying, washing, or purposes comprising, in combination,

- dispersing tetrahydrcturiuryl alcohol and soap.

8.; The agent described. in claim 5 wherein the :soepisaMarseillessoap.

7. An agent tor wetting, purll'yin grwsshing or I dispersing purposes. comprising, in combination,

tetrshydroiuriuryl elcohol and. asulphuric deriv-;

atlve 0! a. higher fatty alcohol. 7 v I l I 8. '1he, ese'ntdescribed in claim '7 wherein the ie'rivative is an alkali salt of a sulphuric derive-.- 'ziveoilzsuricslcohol. I

. .9.- A- composition or msttercomprising, in corn iination, a compound of the general formula lac-03,

tdspted or wetting, puriiying', washlnm or -dis-:

persing purposes in which R represent: either s' 1 residue 0! a. fatty scidhsvinz oneto ilve carbon atoms or an atomic! 10. The method of improvinz the, wetting, dispersing, and penetrating properties 0! should treatment agent which comprlsesaddins thereto a. compound consisting-of tetrahydroiuriuryl al cohol combined as an esterwith 1: lower aliphatic earboxylicscid. v p

,11 The method described in claim 10 wherein 5 I the tetrahydroiurturyl alcohol is combined as ester of acetic acid.

12. The method oi improvinsthe wetting, dispersing, and penetrating properties 021 liquid treatment agent which comprises eiddlnz'theretov I a compoundconsisting oi tetrahydroiuriuryl slcohoL' I l I 7 13. The method of improving'the wetting, disperslng,- and penetrstinzproperties of a. liquid treatment agent which comprises adding thereto I I i a reaction product composed principally o! t-trshydrcturiuryl alcohol produced. by the cstelytic hydrogenation)! iurtursl inthe liquid phase in the absence or! wster, said reaction product boils in which R represents either a residue of a fatty acid having one to i'ivecerbonjatomsor 3150315 1 ofhydrosen; 1

-' HEINRICHBERTBCH.

ins between l'lotsnd'laoC. st 760 mm. pressure. 199 

